Northamptonshire man fined for breaching noise abatement order to control his barking dogs

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Stephanie Weaver

Published:12:13Tuesday 01 March 2016

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East Northamptonshire Council is one of the first local authorities in the UK to successfully apply for a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) after a conviction for breach of a noise abatement notice.

Costa John Golding of Rushden was found guilty of breaching a noise abatement notice issued to control barking dogs at his home in Rushden.

At Northampton Magistrates Court on February 18, he was found guilty of breaching the notice and fined a total of £4,707.44 (£726 for the offence and £3,981.44 of costs incurred by the council).

The conviction follows years of complaints against Golding involving barking dogs at his property.

An abatement notice requiring him to control the noise from barking dogs was issued in February 2015 after a long and difficult investigation.

Officers from the council continued to receive complaints about excessive dog barking, and breaches of the notice were witnessed between May and August that same year.

The court heard how the noise from barking dogs and lengthy investigation had a devastating impact on his elderly and vulnerable neighbours.

The CBO states that Mr Golding has 28 days from the date of the hearing to remove all the dogs from his property and requires that no dogs will be kept there while he lives at his current address.

A member of the council’s environmental protection team will inspect the property after 28 days to confirm that no dogs are present.

Should Golding continue to keep dogs at the property after 28 days, the council has powers to bring a further prosecution for a breach of the CBO.

Cllr Steven North, leader of East Northamptonshire Council, said: “We will continue to investigate cases of noise nuisance and take all necessary steps to prevent nuisance and antisocial behaviour affecting residents in our district. “This is a great demonstration of the use of new anti-social behaviour powers to prevent harassment, alarm and distress to our residents.”